News

The Edmonton Eskimos are now the Edmonton Elks

By Kevin Kinkead

Published: Jun 1st, 2021 · 2:09 PM EDT

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We reported on this story back in the very early and very slow days of the pandemic, when there was nothing on television.

It was during the wave of social change that took place after George Floyd’s murder, and resulted in teams like the Cleveland Indians and Washington Redskins deciding to change their monikers, while other clubs, like the Kansas City Chiefs and Chicago Blackhawks, instituted new measures to guide fans to more proper depictions of their mascots. No headdresses and stuff like that. It was a cultural appropriation thing.

One of the teams that also got some blowback was north of the border in Edmonton, and starting today the CFL club formerly known as the “Eskimos” is now the “Elks” –

New Name. Same Game.

Let’s play some football. #ElksCharge pic.twitter.com/RhtwzcAmhv

— Edmonton Elks (@GoElks) June 1, 2021

I always thought the plural of “Elk” was “Elk,”, kind of like the word “deer,” but apparently not? Maybe they just vetted this name and thought it sounded better to go with Edmonton Elks instead of Edmonton Elk. Not sure. Maybe we need to get a language expert and a hoofed ruminant mammal expert in the same room and have them hash it out.

On a more serious note, the name “Eskimo” is now considered insensitive in Canada because it demeans indigenous people up there. So Edmonton decided to drop the name last summer and used a temporary moniker (like the Washington Football Team) until this week’s reveal. They did a fan poll in February with seven choices for consideration, which included the Evergreens, Evergolds, Eclipse, Elkhounds, Eagles, and Elements. At the end of the day, we ended up with “Elks.”